The purpose of this session is to present the findings of a research project that aimed to explore student perceptions of their peer evaluation experiences during group activities within an online nursing research course. Quantitative and qualitative methods were used.
Background: To meet the needs of working nurses, there are many RN to BSN programs delivered solely in the online learning environment. The use of peer evaluation has increased in online learning environments to promote interaction among students, stimulate the quality of discussion and improve learning outcomes.
Objective: To explore student perceptions of peer evaluation experiences within an online RN to BSN nursing research course.
Design: Cross sectional online survey.
Settings: A public university in southeastern North Carolina in the United States.
Participants: A total of 140 RN to BSN students enrolled in the online nursing research course during 2015 and 2016.
Methods: Quantitative and qualitative data were collected from the 33 item-Revised Community of Inquiry (RCOI) and three open ended questions.
Results: The majority of students (85%) reported that they had the ability to evaluate their peers’ writing. In addition, 81.8% of students reported their writing skills had improved. When students were asked to rate their peer evaluation experience, 69% perceived it as helpful. Writing improvement was positively correlated with the peer evaluation experience (r = .32, p < .05) and the ability to evaluate peers (r = .48, p < .001). Content analysis revealed that more students viewed the peer evaluation experience as positive and expressed that it enhanced their learning of course material and group process.
Conclusions: Peer evaluation may provide considerable benefits to students including improving learning outcomes and writing skills.
Education Implications: Successful implementation of peer evaluation activities requires careful planning and ongoing instructor involvement.
In this research presentation, the project will be presented to attendees in an interactive format using slide handouts and question and answer about the research study.